2020 Hawai’i County Candidates
The Hawai’i Island REALTORS® Government Affairs Committee have been hard at work in gathering responses to an industry-related questionnaire sent to Hawai’i County Mayoral and Council Member Candidates. Below are the questions asked and the responses received.
1. In 2018, the Hawaii County Council passed Bill 108 (now Ordinance 2018-114), which regulates un-hosted short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) in Hawaii County. What policies would you implement to further regulate or deregulate short-term vacation rentals on Hawaii Island, whether hosted or un-hosted, and what will be the economic impact(s) of those policies?
2. In 2019, the Real Property Tax Office implemented policies to assess properties at their “highest and best use”. This changed the real property tax classifications for many residents, mainly those on agricultural-zoned parcels smaller than one-acre in size, increasing their real property tax bill. What are your thoughts on the County real property tax and how revenue may be increased without negative impacts for residents?
3. Hawaiʻi County residents generate over 200,000 tons of solid waste each year. In 2019, the County closed the Hilo landfill and is now hauling solid waste across the island to a landfill in Puʻuanahulu. Additionally, due to significant decreases in the global market for recyclables, the County of Hawaiʻi is no longer accepting some of the types of materials collected at the County recycling & transfer stations. What solutions would you propose to resolve the County’s solid waste dilemma?
4. Median home prices in Hawaii County continue to rise with shrinking inventory and increasing demand. Since 2011, the median sales price for a residential home in Hawaii County has increased, year to year, by as little as 0.38% (2015-2016) up to 13.46% (2012-2013) per year. What are your top three (3) actionable items to address housing affordability?
5. The Hawaiʻi state legislature recently proposed legislation that would put the responsibility on the counties to research and provide data on topics such as energy, coastal zone/sea level rise, etc. as they relate to climate change, without addressing funding for any related expenses. What three (3) specific solutions would you propose to address climate change, and how would these proposals be funded?
6. In 2015, the state legislature adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 100 percent by the year 2045, positioning Hawaiʻi to become the first U.S. state to produce all its electricity from local renewable energy sources and establishing interim targets of 30 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2030, and 70 percent by 2040. What is your position on expanding geothermal and/or other forms of renewable energy on Hawaiʻi Island?
7. What are two (2) things you like about the Community Development Plan (CDP) in your district that are working well? What are two (2) things in your district’s CDP that are not working and why? How would you suggest those issues be addressed/fixed?
8. The appearance of COVID-19 has brought the world economy to a halt and has exposed major faults in local government’s blatant reliance on tourism for revenue. What are your plans to jump start and/or diversify the island’s economy?
9. Many municipalities across the country are exploring bond sales to raise capital for improvements to infrastructure, like road and wastewater improvements as an example; things that are sorely in need of attention on Hawaii Island. The County Council just this year advanced a $103 million bond issue for road projects with Bill 145. What is your view on expanding municipal bond issuance to finance infrastructure while interest rates are historically low?
DISCLAIMER: Hawai’i Island REALTORS® as an association does NOT publicly support or endorse any candidates running for local public office (Mayor, County Council, or County Prosecutor for Hawai’i County). The information and video content provided here are only for the benefit of the reader and viewer to allow them as a voter to reach an informed and educated decision. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the candidate(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position(s) or view(s) of the association.
MAYORAL CANDIDATES
| AZEVEDO, Neil A. | View N. Azevedo’s Response |
| BRYANT, Paul (Amaury) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| FITZGERALD, Bob | View B. Fitzgerald’s Response |
| GLENDON, Michael (Mikey) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| GREENWELL, Robert (Kelly) | View R. Greenwell’s Response |
| HIGA, Stacy | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| KA’EHU’AE’A, Wendell J. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| KAWANO, Yumi T.R. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| KIM, Harry | View H. Kim’s Response |
| MARZO, Ikaika | View I. Marzo’s Response |
| ROTH, Mitch | View M. Roth’s Response |
| RUGGLES, Mike D. | View M. Ruggles’s Response |
| SHANEYFELT, Ted (Toku San) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| URBAN, Tante T. | View T. Urban’s Response |
| VERSCHUUR, Lahi (Marlin) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| YUDA, James M. (Jiro) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
COUNTY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
| Contests | Name | |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | JUAN, Elroy C. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | KIMBALL, Heather L. | View H. Kimball’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | MEDEIROS-GARCIA, Jaerick K. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | MOORE, Jaclyn L. | View J. Moore’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | MORRISON, Bethany Joy | View B. Morrison’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | PERREIRA, Monique CobbAdams | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 01 | YAGONG, Dominic | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 02 | CHUNG, Aaron S.Y. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 02 | HALVERSEN, William | View W. Halversen’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 03 | KAAIHUE, Henry K., Jr. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 03 | LEE LOY, Susan (Sue) | View S. Lee Loy’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 03 | NEVES, Paul K. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 04 | KIERKIEWICZ, Ashley L. | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 05 | KANEALI’I-KLEINFELDER, Matt | View M. Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 05 | RODENHURST, Ikaika | View I. Rodenhurst’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 05 | WIRICK, Frederic (Ric) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 06 | DAVID, Maile (Medeiros) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 07 | CLEMENT, Jane | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 07 | VILLEGAS, Rebecca | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 08 | INABA, Holeka Goro | View H. Inaba’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 08 | KAHUI, Craig (Bo) | View C. Kahui’s Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 09 | AIONA, Philip K. (Ippy) | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 09 | KEANE, Ranae | No Response Received/Waiting for Response |
| HAWAII COUNCILMEMBER, DIST 09 | RICHARDS, Herbert (Tim) | View H. Richards’s Response |